TRENTON, N.J.—Gov.
Chris Christie
sought to strike a bipartisan tone and emphasize the accomplishments of his first four years in office Tuesday in a state of the state address that came in the wake of a scandal over lane closures at the
George Washington Bridge.

In his speech marking the beginning of the new legislative session, the Republican governor briefly addressed the controversy that has engulfed his administration in the past week over traffic jams that resulted from the abrupt closures at the Fort Lee, N.J., entrance to the bridge last September. Emails have indicated that the move by allies was politically motivated and aimed at Fort Lee's mayor, who had declined to endorse Mr. Christie.

But he quickly pivoted back to the business of New Jersey in an address that brandished his credentials as a centrist Republican, political analysts said.

"The last week has certainly tested this administration. Mistakes were clearly made," Mr. Christie said in the 45-minute speech. "And as a result, we let down the people we are entrusted to serve."

The governor said he would cooperate with "all appropriate inquiries" into the matter, and again took responsibility for the scandal occurring under his watch.

Mr. Christie, long held up as a strong contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, has typically delivered soaring rhetoric in the annual speech. Last year, he spoke about the state's recovery from superstorm Sandy—a role for which he received national praise.

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The governor's tone this year was more modest. His communications team sent out no splashy video trailer prior to the speech, as it did last year.Absent from the speech were references to national issues such as the federal government shutdown and other dysfunction in Washington, D.C., points he often uses to draw a contrast with his self-described record of bipartisan achievement in New Jersey.

His signature proposal Tuesday—to extend the school day and public-school calendar—would have stood out nationally as a proposal that appeals to independents and centrists, said
Patrick Murray,
executive director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. But Mr. Murray said the bridge controversy muted the message.

"Christie did pretty much what he needed to," Mr. Murray said. "The rest of the speech was in line with what he originally planned, but without the snappy in-your-face bravado of the conquering hero."

Mr. Christie stuck to safe themes and proposals that he had previously advanced. He discussed consolidating government, supporting urban education improvements and hinted at revisiting battles from early in his administrationto rein in public pensions. He referenced a tax cut and effort to reduce property taxes, but said he would offer more details next month during his budget address.

State Republicans largely rallied around the governor Tuesday, while many Democrats criticized his comments on pensions and vowed to push back.

Mr. Christie faces continued skepticism among Democratic lawmakers in the bridge scandal. They question whether the administration has fully disclosed the extent to which a plan by allies to engineer the traffic jams was known within the governor's inner circle.

Assemblyman
John Wisniewski,
the Democrat leading the lower chamber's new special committee to investigate the bridge matter, said Tuesdaybefore the speech that he expected to issue subpoenas for records, and possibly sworn testimony, to "potentially dozens" more members of Mr. Christie's staff and political aides.

Mr. Wisniewski said he had doubts about the administration's explanations. He said his doubts were "buttressed" on Tuesday after The Wall Street Journal published photos online of Mr. Christie with
David Wildstein
and
Bill Baroni,
both then officials of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that oversees the bridge, taken Sept. 11, 2013—the third day of the lane closures. The two men were managing the closures and working to stop local outrage from becoming public, according to previously released documents.

Mr. Christie had previously said he had "no contact with David Wildstein in a long time, a long time, well before the election" of last November.

Mr. Christie and the two officials attended a ceremony to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. "I can't help but wonder what conversation took place between them," Mr. Wisniewski said.

Mr. Christie's spokesman said the governor "had numerous interactions with public officials that morning, including representatives of the Port Authority. They were all there for one reason—to pay tribute to the heroes of 9/11."

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sought to strike a bipartisan tone and emphasize the accomplishments of his first four years in office in a state of the state address that came in the wake of a scandal over lane closures at the George Washington Bridge.